Driver in double fatal expects prison time

Granger woman's attorney, prosecutor working on plea agreement.

Granger woman's attorney, prosecutor working on plea agreement.

December 31, 2005|CAROL DRAEGER Tribune Staff Writer

NILES -- The future of a Granger woman accused of causing a double fatal crash by allegedly driving drunk remained uncertain Friday. Amanda Theresa Christenson is expected to serve "years in prison" for the Nov. 23 accident that claimed the lives of a Niles couple, according to her attorney. But the big question is how many years, said defense attorney, Andy Burch, of Benton Harbor. Burch and Berrien County Assistant Prosecutor Jeffrey Rhoa met in a closed hearing with a judge in the South County Building in Niles Friday morning. Plea agreement options were discussed, the attorneys said after the meeting. Rhoa planned to meet with the families of the victims Friday afternoon. "I want to do the right thing," Rhoa said. "They have input in this. I won't do anything without them being on board," he said, adding, "It's a very serious matter." Based on Michigan sentencing laws, the maximum Christenson could serve would be 15 years. Burch said Christenson, 25, hopes to get a plea agreement that would allow her to serve some years behind bars but not the maximum. "So far they've been unsuccessful," Burch said. Christenson is accused of getting behind the wheel of her 2005 Lexus after downing some Chardonnay at the Gippers Sports Bar in Roseland about 15 minutes before the crash, according to court records. She told police she consumed only a glass. But a blood test after the crash revealed she had a blood-alcohol level of .175, more than double the legal limit of .08, police said. Police contend Christenson was disoriented when she inexplicably slammed into the back end of a sport utility vehicle driven by Donna Lutin. Lutin and her longtime companion, Michael King, died shortly after the 7:45 p.m. crash. They were both 52 years old. Lutin's Suzuki SUV was stopped behind a pickup truck in the northbound right lane of South 11th Street (Michigan 51) at Ontario Road in Niles Township. Lutin and the pickup truck driver, Mark Wayne Steven, 51, were waiting for a red light, Michigan State Police said. The impact of Christenson's car striking the stopped SUV caused the pickup truck to cross the intersection and strike a nearby building, according to a police report. Steven was treated and released. Christenson was not injured. King's family said the couple were returning home on Barron Lake from South Bend. King's father had undergone knee-replacement surgery and the couple had visited him in the hospital, said Dorothy Owen, King's aunt. "The roads were bad so they took her four-wheel drive," Owen said. She said her brother, Firmer King, Michael King's father, is still distraught over his son's death. "They were close," she said. She hopes prosecutors won't show leniency for Christenson. "People that drink and drive are a horrible hazard. She should get the maximum," Owen said Friday. Burch said Christenson does not have evil in her heart. She has lost weight and has not slept well since the crash, he said. Burch also said she attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings daily and had been in a treatment program prior to the crash. "The most important thing for my client is forgiveness," Burch said. "In her heart she needs to be forgiven. She's not a killer."